Do you really know what kind of cloud works best for your business?

It’s easy — too easy — to get lost in the techno-babble about all those types of cloud computing. Once you’ve decided which IT capabilities you want to offload to a cloud, what matters most is whether the cloud service you choose can really handle business needs.

Which is why I prefer a simpler way to describe today’s cloud computing landscape: Consumer clouds versus business clouds.

Without sacrificing speed, business-focused cloud computing services can deliver a far more flexible and agile IT infrastructure that you pay for monthly, like a utility.

Trustworthy business cloud services providers also will offer a range of capabilities and service levels to meet your needs, so you’ll be able to decide on key details about the services you buy.

For instance, do you want a lower-cost shared hosting service in which your applications and data reside in isolated virtual machines located on the same server as other customers’ virtual machines — or do you want the provider to dedicate one or more servers just for you? What sort of service availability is necessary for your business? What sorts of security and compliance mandates must you meet?